The Boleyn Ground Memorial Garden was created by the fans in 2001 and there was never a requirement to ask permission from the Club to lay ashes or special items there. The Garden was constantly accessible with the hotel at the Boleyn Ground being open 24 hours a day, and many fans chose to pay tribute privately on matchday.
As such, official records of those who have scattered ashes or laid memorabilia at the site were not historically kept at West Ham United, which has naturally made it difficult to formally recognise those honoured within it.
On three separate occasions, the Club documented the names on all of the plaques placed at the Memorial Garden, with all plaques in situ during that time recorded and included within the Memorial Plaque, even if the family had not been in touch with us.
With no formal records, we took a number of steps to try and make contact with family members. Initially, the Club searched our email archives to find any supporters who had previously contacted us regarding the Memorial Garden. Letters and emails were sent to those who attended the Memorial Service held at the Boleyn Ground upon its closure and we also requested records from the previous and current Club Chaplain to try and contact as many families as possible.
A notice regarding the future of the Memorial Garden has been on site since 2017 to encourage any fans visiting the garden to contact the Club.
The Club have been publicly communicating updates across our channels, including on our website, our matchday programme and social media, to encourage any families that we have not yet managed to contact to come forward. If you do have a loved one remembered at the Memorial Garden, we’d ask you to contact us directly on supporterservices@westhamunited.co.uk
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